DAVID AXELROD

Jason Reed / Getty

AGE: 52
OCCUPATION: Chicago consultant, Obama consigliere
NUMBER OF TIME COVERS: 0
PREVIOUS APPEARANCES ON THE TIME 100: 0

PRO: Barack Obama's chief political and media advisor, a
journalist-turned-consultant, has spun his candidate as a generational
reboot of the Democratic Party. By using viral media, online fundraising and
tech-savvy techniques, Axelrod has orchestrated a triumph of personality
over policy. Having a nimble, extensive organization capable of a real
50-state strategy didn't hurt either.

CON: At some point, Axelrod is going to need to build a policy beachhead for
Obama  man cannot live by YouTube videos alone.